Method for forming a matte finish on a surface

ABSTRACT

A MATTE FINISH IS PROVIDED ON A DESIRED SURFACE BY THE HEATING AND COMPRESSING OF A FLUOROCARBON COATING TO THE DESIRED SURFACE SO THAT THE COATING IS SECURED THERETO. THEREAFTER, THE COATING IS SPLIT BETWEEN OPPOSED SIDES THEREOF SO THAT ONE SPLIT PART OF THE COATING REMAINS ON THE SURFACE TO PROVIDE THE MATTE FINISH THEREON AND THE OTHER SPLIT PART OF THE COATING IS REMOVED FROM THE SURFACE.

H. K. PRICE sept. 12, 1912 METHOD FOR FORMING A MATTEFINISH ON A SURFACEFiled Dec. v, 1970 Mgg MMP',

Hls ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,690,985 Patented Sept. 12,1972 3,690,985 METHOD FOR FORMING A MATTE FINISH N A SURFACE Herbert K.Price, Richmond, Va., assgnor to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va.Filed Dec. 7, 1970, Ser. No. 95,835 Int. Cl. B32b 31 /18 U.S. Cl.156-254 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A matte finish is providedon a desired surface by the heating and compressing of a fluorocarboncoating to the desired surface so that the coating is secured thereto.Thereafter, the coating is split between opposed sides thereof so thatone split part of the coating remains on the surface to provide thematte finish thereon and the other split part of the coating is removedfrom the surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY This invention provides an improvedmethod for making a matte finish on a desired surface in a simple andeffective manner, this invention also providing a member for forming thematte nish as well as the matte finished article.

In particular, one feature of this invention provides a member forproviding a matte finish to a desired surface wherein the member isadapted to be pressed into heat contact with the desired surface and,therafter, be readily released from that surface while providing a mattefinish thereto.

One method of this invention comprises the method steps of disposing acoated side of a finish producing member against the desired surfacewith the coating being a material that is adapted to become secured tothat surface and readily split between opposed sides thereof, causingthe coating of the one side of the member to become secured to thesurface and, thereafter, separating the member from the surfaceintermediate the opposed sides of the coating so that the coating splitsand leaves a layer thereof on the surface to provide the desired finishthereof.

Other details, uses and advantages of the invention will become apparentas the following description of the present preferred embodimentsthereof in the accompanying drawing proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The accompanying drawing showsschematically the present preferred embodiments of the invention, inwhich:

FIG. l is a schematic view, partially in cross section, illustrating oneembodiment of the method of this invention for forming a matte finish ona strip of material.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional View illustratingthe inlet side of the heating chamber of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrates the exit side of theheating chamber of lFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view illustrating anothermethod of this invention for forming a matte finish on a desiredsurface.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and3, one embodiment of the method of this invention is generally indicatedby the reference numeral 10 and comprises a housing or frame structure11 defining a heating chamber 12 therein with the housing 11 having aninlet 13 at one end thereof and an outlet 14 at the other end thereoffor permitting sheet material to be passed through the housing 11 to beheated in the chamber 12 thereof and be compressed by suitable pairs ofopposed roller means 15 and 16 spaced and disposed throughout thechamber 12 in the desired number and manner with one or more of therolls 15 and 16 of each pair being urged toward the other with a desiredpressure for a purpose that will be apparent hereinafter.

A first sheet of material 17 is adapted to be fed from a supply roll 18thereof past a suitable guide roll 19 and be combined with another sheetof material 20 also being fed from a supply roll 21 thereof and past aguide roll 41 so that the two sheets of material 17 and 20 can bebrought together at the entrance 13 to the housing 11 and be passedthrough the nips of the roller means 15 and 16 throughout the length ofthe chamber 12 to exit from the outlet 14 thereof. The sheet 17 isseparated from the sheet 20 at the outlet 14 and is passed by a suitableguide roll 22 to a desired location while the sheet 20 passes by a guideroll 23 to a desired location, such as to a windup roll to provide asupply roll thereof.

The sheet of material 17 of this invention is so constructed andarranged that the same is adapted to impart a matte finish to the facingside 24 of the sheet of material 20 as the same are heated andcompressed together in the housing 11 so that when the sheets 17 and 20are subsequently separated at the exit side 14 of the housing means 11,the surface 24 of the sheet of material 20 is provided with a mattefinish which has improved scuff resistance and has reduced waterspotting characteristics as a result of a transfer to the surface 24 ofpart of a coating of the sheet of material 17 as will now be described.

The sheet of material 17 is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 and is alamination comprising a paper sheet 25 secured to a metallic foil sheet26 by an interposed adhesive layer 27, the metallic foil 26 comprisingaluminum containing metallic material, if desired. The foil, adhesiveand paper substrates 26, 27 and 25 provide a nonporous and thermallystable lamination which characteristics could be provided by othersubstances, if desired to practice this invention as hereinafter setforth.

The outer surface 28 of the foil sheet 26 of the lamination sheet 17 isprovided with a coating 29 formed of particles of fluorocarbon selectedfrom the group of fluorocarbon particles, such as tetrafluoroethylene,chlorotrifluoroethylene, dichlorodifiuoroethylene,trichlorofluoroethylene, and the like.

The coating 29 is adapted, when heated and pressed into contact with thesurface 24 of the sheet 20 by the roller means 15 and 16 in a mannerhereinafter described, to become secured to the surface 24 of the sheet20 so that when the sheets 17 and 20 are subsequently separated fromeach other at the exit 14 of the housing 11, the coating 29 will splitbetween the opposed surfaces 30 and 31 thereof whereby a part or layer32 of the coating 29 remains secured to the sheet 17 and the remainingsplit part or layer 33 thereof remains secured to the surface 24 of thesheet 20 to provide the matte finish thereon,

some of the particles of the coating 29 splitting in two so that partthereof remains secured to the sheet 17 and the other part thereofremains secured to the sheet 20. In this manner, the split part or layer33 of the coating 29 provides the desired matte finish 33 on thedesi-red surface 24 of the sheet 20.

While the sheet 20 can be any desired surface, typical examples of thesheet 20 include resin impregnated paper and berboard used as an overlayon a wood, metallic or plastic base so as to provide furniture veneer,counter tops, desk tops, vertical wall panels and the like. Typical-resins include heat curing type resins such as melamines, phenolics,formaldehydes, expoxies, polyesters, and the like, as well ascombinations thereof. Such matte nished materials are found to be scuffresistant on the matte surface thereof as well as have a reduced waterspotting characteristic.

While the pressure being imparted to the sheets 17 and 20 to cause thecoating 29 to become secured to the surface 24 of the sheet 20, as wellas the temperature in the chamber 12 and the length of time the sheets17 and 20 remain in contact with each other, are not critical valueswhen practicing this invention, optimum results have been obtained usinga pressure in a range from about 200 to 5000 pounds per square inch at atemperature in the range from about ambient temperature to 400 F. for aperiod of time from approximately three minutes to two hours. Thepressure, temperature and contact time can vary with requirementsrelating to thickness of the substrates, curing time for the surfacereceiving the matte lfinish and types of material utilized.

Because of the use of the uorocarbon particles for the coating 29, notonly is the matte finish provided for the desired surface in the mannerpreviously described but also in the method of producing the matte nishafter the heat and pressure have been utilized to secure the coating 29to the sheet 20, the coating 29 readily releases by splitting thefluorocarbon particles so that the aforementioned difliculty inseparating a particulate carrying member is substantially eliminated asthe fluorocarbon particles provide good release from the desiredsurface.

While the method of this invention has been previously described asbeing performed with the sheet 20 and transfer sheet 17 being in rollform, it is to be understood that the transfer sheet or member 17 andthe sheet or member 20 `receiving the desired finish on the surfacethereof can by any desired structure and can be heated and compressedtogether while in a at configuration.

For example, reference is now made to FIG. 4 wherein another method ofthis invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 34 andcomprises a first member 35 having the side 36 thereof provided with auorocarbon particle coating in the manner previously described andengaging against a desired flat surface 37 of another member 38 that isto receive the matte finish thereon in the manner previously described,the members 35 and 38 being of any desired thickness and beingcompressed together by cooperating die blocks 39 and 40 whereby afterthe coating on the surface 36 of the transfer member 35 has been securedto the surface 37 of the member 38, the members 35 and 38- are separatedfrom each other by the iluorocarbon coating splitting therebetween so asto provide the matte finish on the surface 37 of the member 38 in themanner previously described.

Therefore, it can be seen that this invention not only provides animproved method of providing a desired finish on a desired surface, butalso this invention provides an improved member for imparting the finishto a desired surface as well as an article having a matte finish on anexposed surface thereof.

While present preferred embodiments of the invention, and methods ofpracticing the same, have been illustrated and described, it will berecognized that the invention may be otherwise variously embodied andpracticed within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a matte finish on a surface comprising the stepsof securing a coating of uorocarbon material on said surface, and,thereafter, splitting said coating between opposed sides thereof so thatone split part of said coating remains on said surface to provide saidmatte finish thereof as the other split part is removed from saidsurface.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 and including the step of formingsaid surface from a resin impregnated fibrous material.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 and including the step of selectingsaid resin for said fibrous material from the group consisting ofmelamines, pheuolics, formaldehydes, epoxies and polyesters.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said coating of fluorocarbonmaterial is a coating of fluorocarbon particles.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4 and including the step of selectingsaid fluorocarbon particles from the group consisting oftetraiiuoroethylene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, dichlorodifluoroethyleneand trichlorofluor0- ethylene.

6. A method for forming a matte finish on a surface comprising the stepsof disposing a coated side of a member against said surface with thecoating of said side comprising a fluorocarbon material that is adaptedto become secured to said surface and split between opposed sidesthereof, causing said coating of said side of said member to becomesecured to said surface, and separating said member from said surfacewhereby said coating splits intermediate its opposed sides to leave alayer thereof on said surface to provide said matte finish thereon.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said member is a non-porousthermally stable member and said step of causing said coating of saidmember to become secured to said surface comprises the steps of heatingsaid coating and compressing said coating against said surface.

8. A method a set forth in claim 6 wherein said step of causing saidcoating of said member to become secured to said surface comprisescontacting said coating against said surface.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said coating of fluorocarbonmaterial is a coating of fluorocarbon particles.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9 and including the step of selectingsaid tiuorocarbon particles from the group consisting oftetrauoroethylene, chlorotriiiuoroethylene, dichlorodifluoroethylene andtrichloroliuoroethylene.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9 and including the step of formingsaid member from a non-porous and thermally stable flexible sheet.

12. A method as set forth in claim 6 and including the steps of formingsaid member from a lamination of paper and aluminum containing metallicfoil by laminating said paper to one side of said foil and coating theother side of said foil with said coating.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,853 9/1938 Campbell156-254 X 2,731,068 1/1956 Richards 161-189 UX 2,351,498 6/1944 Fowler156--254 X 2,587,171 2/1952 Knewstubb et al. 156-254 X 2,768,902 10/1956Scholl 156-254 3,174,889 3/1965 Anderson et al 156-254 3,434,861 3/1969Luc 156-254 UX ALFRED L. LEAVITT, Primary Examiner I. R. BATTEN, JR.,Assistant Examiner

